Today marks the 22nd annual International Left-Handers Day. To celebrate, let's look at why only around one in ten people is left-handed. Why, pray tell, are lefties are so rare – or, said another way, why are most of us righties? It seems like a simple question, but it's actually one of the biggest mysteries in all…»8/13/14 12:20pm 8/13/14 12:20pm

Other neanderthals would probably also like to hear that — but one researcher thinks that the average neanderthal would have a problem with that vowel. A reconstructed vocal tract indicates that there are some vowel sounds that neanderthals just couldn't say. »5/30/13 1:31pm 5/30/13 1:31pm

Humans likely first took to the seas about 50,000 years ago. But there's mounting evidence that our Neanderthal cousins were routinely sailing throughout the Mediterranean twice as long ago. Alternatively, they were just really good at long distance swimming. »2/29/12 4:40pm 2/29/12 4:40pm

This cave painting is thought to be 43,000 years old, making it 8,000 years older than any other known art. It was most likely the work of Neanderthals, who apparently discovered the DNA double helix 43 millennia before we did. »2/12/12 1:00pm 2/12/12 1:00pm

The human genome carries an average of 1% to 4% Neanderthal DNA, which means our ancient human ancestors must have interbred with our extinct evolutionary cousins. That raises an obvious next question: why did humans have sex with Neanderthals? »2/07/12 3:15pm 2/07/12 3:15pm

In the early days of humanity, the Cromag tribe encounters fire with the first time and has a grand old time throwing things into it, but doesn't know how to make fire themselves. In The Discovery of Fire, when the neighboring Neandert family wants a little fire to call their own, things start to get silly — and a… »1/15/12 2:00pm 1/15/12 2:00pm

Genome analysts at 23andMe have devised a new way to reveal the secrets inside your DNA. Their latest test will reveal how many of your genes come from Neanderthals. Be warned: some people have a lot of Neanderthal in them. »12/20/11 12:40pm 12/20/11 12:40pm

An ancient human skull found in China shows evidence of blunt force trauma, meaning some other human probably hit him on the head. Considering how old the skull is, this might as well be considered the invention of violence. »11/21/11 3:07pm 11/21/11 3:07pm

Sometimes it really pays to take a second look at old findings. The fragment of jaw bone pictured above, believed to have belonged to an anatomically modern human, was first discovered over 80 years ago in Kents Cavern, an archaeologically rich cave system located in South England. »11/04/11 1:20pm 11/04/11 1:20pm

It seems like such a simple question, but it's actually one of the biggest mysteries in all of science. Is it because of how our brains are organized, how ancient humans gripped tools, or is it simple anti-lefty prejudice? »10/26/11 9:28am 10/26/11 9:28am

Shellfish has a surprisingly important place in our evolutionary story. One theory says shellfish fueled the expansion of our brains, while another gives it credit for saving our species. Turns out Neanderthals liked shellfish just as much as we did. »9/16/11 6:20am 9/16/11 6:20am

The evidence has been mounting for years that early humans and Neanderthals interbred, but now it's pretty much a certainty. Part of the X chromosome found in people from outside Africa originally comes from our Neanderthal cousins. »7/18/11 4:00pm 7/18/11 4:00pm

It's only relatively recently that the scientific community has begun to accept that early humans interbred with our Neanderthal cousins. Now it looks as if it was not only possible, it was essential for providing us with immunity from strange diseases. »6/16/11 11:35am 6/16/11 11:35am

A recently-uncovered Neanderthal burial site in Spain has provided intriguing evidence that these ancient hominids believed in an afterlife and were capable of complex symbolic thought, all possibly before early Homo sapiens demonstrated these abilities. »4/20/11 3:19pm 4/20/11 3:19pm

The following illustrations by Japanese artist Gōjin Ishihara depict the end of the world, prehistoric man playing pro ball, and sundry scenes from Hell...and they're all out of children's books and magazines! These books definitely weren't bedtime story material. »7/28/10 10:07am 7/28/10 10:07am